EP2916983B1 - Fabrication de couche d'additifs - Google Patents

Fabrication de couche d'additifs Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2916983B1
EP2916983B1 EP13789380.6A EP13789380A EP2916983B1 EP 2916983 B1 EP2916983 B1 EP 2916983B1 EP 13789380 A EP13789380 A EP 13789380A EP 2916983 B1 EP2916983 B1 EP 2916983B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
work piece
layer
stress relieving
measuring
component
Prior art date
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Application number
EP13789380.6A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP2916983A1 (fr
Inventor
Jagjit Sidhu
Andrew David Wescott
Mark Alfred POTTER
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
BAE Systems PLC
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BAE Systems PLC
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Publication date
Priority claimed from EP12275170.4A external-priority patent/EP2730354A1/fr
Priority claimed from GB1220225.5A external-priority patent/GB2508335B/en
Application filed by BAE Systems PLC filed Critical BAE Systems PLC
Priority to EP13789380.6A priority Critical patent/EP2916983B1/fr
Publication of EP2916983A1 publication Critical patent/EP2916983A1/fr
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
    • B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
    • B23K9/095—Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters
    • B23K9/0956—Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters using sensing means, e.g. optical
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F10/00—Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
    • B22F10/20—Direct sintering or melting
    • B22F10/25—Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F10/00—Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
    • B22F10/50—Treatment of workpieces or articles during build-up, e.g. treatments applied to fused layers during build-up
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F12/00—Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
    • B22F12/20—Cooling means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F12/00—Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
    • B22F12/30—Platforms or substrates
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F7/00—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression
    • B22F7/02—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression of composite layers
    • B22F7/04—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression of composite layers with one or more layers not made from powder, e.g. made from solid metal
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
    • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
    • B23K26/34—Laser welding for purposes other than joining
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
    • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
    • B23K26/352—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring for surface treatment
    • B23K26/354—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring for surface treatment by melting
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
    • B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
    • B23K9/04—Welding for other purposes than joining, e.g. built-up welding
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
    • B29C64/106—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
    • B29C64/124—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
    • B29C64/129—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask
    • B29C64/135—Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
    • B29C64/141—Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials
    • B29C64/153—Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y10/00—Processes of additive manufacturing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y30/00—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F10/00—Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
    • B22F10/30—Process control
    • B22F10/32—Process control of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F10/00—Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
    • B22F10/80—Data acquisition or data processing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F10/00—Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
    • B22F10/80—Data acquisition or data processing
    • B22F10/85—Data acquisition or data processing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F12/00—Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
    • B22F12/40—Radiation means
    • B22F12/41—Radiation means characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F12/00—Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
    • B22F12/40—Radiation means
    • B22F12/41—Radiation means characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam
    • B22F12/43—Radiation means characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam pulsed; frequency modulated
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F12/00—Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
    • B22F12/40—Radiation means
    • B22F12/44—Radiation means characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F12/00—Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
    • B22F12/40—Radiation means
    • B22F12/44—Radiation means characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
    • B22F12/45—Two or more
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
    • B22F7/00—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression
    • B22F7/02—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression of composite layers
    • B22F7/04—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression of composite layers with one or more layers not made from powder, e.g. made from solid metal
    • B22F2007/042—Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting wherein at least one part is obtained by sintering or compression of composite layers with one or more layers not made from powder, e.g. made from solid metal characterised by the layer forming method
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
    • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
    • B33Y50/00—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
    • B33Y50/02—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
    • Y02P10/25—Process efficiency

Definitions

  • This invention relates to additive layer manufacturing (ALM) and in particular to apparatus and a method to relieve stress in a component manufactured by an ALM process.
  • ALM additive layer manufacturing
  • ALM is a relatively new consolidation process that is able to produce a functional complex part, layer by layer, without moulds or dies.
  • This process uses a powerful heat source such as a laser beam or a welding arc to melt a controlled amount of metal in the form of metallic powder or wire, which is then deposited, initially, on a base plate of a work piece. Subsequent layers are then built up upon each preceding layer.
  • this computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology builds complete functional parts or, alternatively, builds features on existing components, by adding material rather than by removing it.
  • ALM manufacturing techniques include: Laser Blown Powder, Laser Powder Bed, and Wire and Arc technologies.
  • Laser Blown Powder technology will be focused upon, here, as being particularly suitable for use with the present invention, but broad details of Laser Powder Bed and Wire and Arc technologies are as follows.
  • Laser Powder Bed technology uses a laser to melt metallic powder contained in a powder bed.
  • the work piece is mounted within the powder bed and the surface of the powder is levelled off so as to just cover the surface of the work piece.
  • the laser is then scanned over the work piece along a path which defines the shape of the component to be manufactured. Powder is melted to this shape and solidifies to a layer of metal on the work piece in the desired shape.
  • the powder is then re-levelled, slightly higher, and the process is repeated until the component has been fully formed.
  • Wire and Arc technology instead of using a laser as a heat source and metallic powder as the incremental material, uses a known welding arc to melt additive layer material in the form of a wire. The process is carried out on a similar scale to conventional welding but with many more "passes" being used to construct the component.
  • the laser beam is directed at a piece of starting material of the work piece or "parent plate” to create a weld pool in the parent plate to which the powder is added.
  • the powder is carried to the focal point of the laser in a precisely directed carrier gas such as Argon.
  • This invention relates to the management of stresses in the manufacture of metallic parts or machine pre-formed blanks produced by additive layer manufacturing means. It is usual for those skilled in the art to manufacture said blanks by building up flanges, or blocks of material by ALM onto an existing plate or other substrate, of which one such example would be titanium. Such a process might also find application in the building up of material in a finished part that is undergoing repair.
  • One such example might be an aircraft frame where a machine cutter has inadvertently caused damage to the part in the final stages of manufacture, and the part is in need of repair by ALM.
  • Processes are now being developed to relieve these stresses at stages within the build process through methods such as mechanical rolling of the last deposited surface of the work piece, or by ultrasonic peening of the surface.
  • the difficulty with these processes is that there are no indications to the operator as to when the correct amount of de-stressing has been applied, other than to remove the clamps and inspect the work piece for distortion.
  • This method may prove very costly to operate, may cause difficulty with re alignment of the work piece and in most cases will be too late to take corrective action in any event.
  • EP2011631 describes a process and a device for producing at least one three-dimensional object by solidifying a solidifiable material involving inter alia sensing or measuring pressure and/or strain at least at a region selected from; in or at the building region, in or at the object carrier and in or at the solidifiable material carrier/provider.
  • US6580959 describes a laser-aided direct material deposition process and to a system and method of monitoring, controlling and modifying such processes, preferably in real time, from a remote location.
  • EP2052693 describes a process and a device for producing at least one three-dimensional object by solidifying a solidifiable material which comprises a filler and a binder.
  • the process and the device described therein are particularly suitable for medical applications, such as for producing implants, bone substitutes and in particular for producing dental implants.
  • US2012/0100030 describes the processing of metal powders by the combination of thermally based (e.g. laser or electron beam) Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) and subsequent heat treatments that then form a superalloy and in particular gamma prime phase containing superalloys.
  • thermally based e.g. laser or electron beam
  • ALM Additive Layer Manufacturing
  • a method of forming a metallic component by additive layer manufacturing including the steps of:-
  • the invention provides a method of controlling stress levels within the work piece during manufacture of the component in a much more informed way, and to predetermined levels, and thereby enables corresponding control of distortion of the work piece and, finally, of the component.
  • Such increased knowledge can, for example, allow the operator to terminate the build process before the work piece becomes stress critical.
  • Knowing what induced stress is within a work piece allows the application of stress relieving by cold working to be carried out to a set known pre-condition without the requirement to un-clamp and remove the part from the support structure.
  • such knowledge may be used to carry out an annealing or a creep forming process to the work piece to restore it to its original condition.
  • the build process can be simplified because further stress reduction can then be carried out with knowledge of how long each step is likely to take. Considerable cost reductions, for the build process, are also likely to result owing to the greater efficiency with which this can be carried out.
  • the method may include positioning the measuring means in the region of extremities of the work piece and measuring distortion across at least a substantial portion, preferably the whole, of the work piece.
  • the step of mounting the work piece to the apparatus includes clamping the work piece to the apparatus at least partly by means of the measuring means.
  • the steps of measuring stresses tending to distort the work piece and stress relieving the work piece may include measuring clamping loads applied to the work piece to clamp it in position on the apparatus before ALM manufacture commences and after forming a predetermined number of layers of added material on the work piece, stress relieving the work piece, measuring the clamping loads again and, if the clamping loads exceed a predetermined said threshold, further stress relieving the work piece
  • additive layer manufacturing apparatus for forming a metallic component
  • the apparatus including clamping means to clamp a work piece to the apparatus, a heat source to apply heat to a portion of a surface of the work piece sufficient to melt said portion; means to add metallic material to the melted portion and means to move the heat source relative to the work piece whereby progressively to form a layer of metallic material on the work piece, measuring means forming part of the clamping means to measure stresses tending to distort the work piece and stress relieving means to relieve stress in the work piece while mounted to the apparatus whereby to reduce distortion of the work piece during forming of the component.
  • the invention may use measuring means in the form of strain measurement devices which may be built into the support structure. This facilitates the ability to monitor any change in the internal stresses in the work piece during build.
  • the information provided by the measuring means can be used to indicate when the work piece has been returned to, or near to, its original un-stressed condition.
  • These measuring means will therefore indicate when sufficient de-stressing of the work piece has occurred. This will ensure that distortion levels in the work piece are kept within acceptable limits and will reduce risk to an operator.
  • the load cell device(s) could be fitted in almost any location within the support structure and provide an indication of stress within the work piece. However, for any given design of component, consideration should be given to making the most sensitive parts of the support structure such as clamps, load pads for supporting the work piece or clamp bolts into load cells.
  • the bed of the support structure may also provide a suitable location for a load cell.
  • the load cell or cells may be connected to a digital readout display. In each case calibration work will be required, and selection of a suitable load range to successfully relate a digital value output from the load cell to a degree of actual bending in the work piece itself. The actual values are less critical when a stress relieving process is being implemented because, under these conditions, returning a work piece to its unstressed form is purely comparative.
  • the apparatus may include a computer programmed to control the heat source; the means to add metallic material to the melted portion of the surface of the work piece, the means to move the heat source relative to the work piece, and the stress relieving means in dependence upon stresses in the work piece measured by the measuring means.
  • Also discussed herein is a computer programme product containing a computer programme adapted to carry out the method of the first aspect of the invention.
  • the additive manufacturing method may be selected from the group: laser blown powder manufacture; laser powder bed manufacture, and wire and arc manufacture.
  • the step of stress relieving the layer may comprise applying high frequency peening to the layer which may be in the form of applying pulsed laser treatment or ultra-sonic impact treatment to a surface of the layer.
  • the step of applying pulsed laser treatment to the surface of the layer may include the step of applying a covering to the surface whereby to focus a shock wave generated by each laser pulse into the layer.
  • the covering may be a sacrificial layer such as a coating or tape and/or a liquid covering.
  • the stress relieving means may be adapted to be applied specifically to the added layer and may thus modify the microstructure of the added layer.
  • the stress relieving means may thus comprise a pulsed laser whereby to apply laser peening to the added layer or may comprise ultrasonic impact treatment means. Both these treatments apply small amounts of force at high frequency to the work piece surface whereby to work harden the applied layer of metallic material.
  • the apparatus may include means to assist focus of each laser pulse into the cooled added layer.
  • Such means may deposit a sacrificial covering upon the cooled layer and may be adapted to deposit a layer of paint or tape and/or a liquid layer.
  • the heat source may be a laser focused upon the work piece surface and the source of metallic material may be a powder and gas delivery device adapted to deliver gas carrying the metal powder substantially to the focal point of the laser.
  • the heat source may be a welding arc and the source of metallic material may be a metallic wire held on feed means, the arc being positioned whereby to create a weld pool on the surface of the work piece and the feed means being adapted to feed the wire to the weld pool.
  • the cooling means may be forced gas cooling means or water spray means and may advantageously be a cryogenic cooling means.
  • the apparatus comprises a bed 1 supporting a parent plate 2 of a work piece 3.
  • a stack 4 of layers of material added by the ALM process Built up upon the parent plate 2 is a stack 4 of layers of material added by the ALM process.
  • the bed 1 is designed as a heavy extremely rigid structure, able to both support the work piece 3 and also to prevent buckling of the work piece as internal stresses build up therein.
  • Each clamp comprises a heavy bolt 7, 8, a nut 9, 10, a clamping plate 11, 12 and a load cell 13, 14.
  • a further load cell or cells may be incorporated into the bed 1, for example in a central region 15 of the parent plate 2. But this will depend on the particular design of work piece and is not deemed necessary here.
  • Each load cell 13, 14 is connected to a computer 16.
  • the nuts 9, 10 are tightened so as to clamp the clamping plates 11, 12 firmly down onto the parent plate 2 and the load cells 13, 14.
  • the parent plate 2 will initially have no layers of added material and will be undistorted by the application of any heat from the ALM process.
  • the compressive load experienced by the load cells will be recorded by the computer 16.
  • the computer will be programmed to record various work piece data and process data as it is carried out for the first time.
  • Such data are likely to include, as a minimum: time elapsed from application of first heat to the parent plate 2, load registered at each load cell 13, 14 at various time intervals or layer intervals, and number of layers of material 4 added to the parent plate.
  • the data is likely to include: number of cold working cycles, amount of cold working in each cycle, amount of heat applied to the work piece by heating means (not shown in Figure 1 ) which is used to melt the metal added to each layer in the stack 4, and various weight and dimensional information relating to the work piece, as so far built. Further data may also be recorded.
  • variables may be adjusted and optimised as experience of the build process is built up.
  • variables may include: the size and thickness of the parent plate; the thickness of each layer of added material; the number of layers added between cold working steps; the amount of cold working done at each step (this may vary as the component is built up in any event), and the reduction in load recorded at each load cell 13, 14 after each cold working step.
  • the computer 16 may be programmed to input such data and to process it either to predict a suitable cold working schedule for a particular component build or, if the computer is operatively linked to both ALM apparatus and cold working apparatus, (see Figure 3 ) to control the build itself.
  • the computer can use a database compiled of the component and process parameters to calculate control algorithms and build parameter predictions for different components.
  • An ALM blown powder and laser, robot controlled machine operated in an atmosphere of Argon may be used to build up layers 4 of material on the parent plate 2. With 4 layers @ 0.25mm / layer built up on the parent plate 2, it now has 1mm of build up on one side of the plate 2. This will start to induce a bending stress in the work piece 3, as indicated schematically at 17. However, as the clamps 5, 6 resist this bending force, they will carry more load and, owing to the geometry of the clamps 5, 6, where each clamping plate 11, 12 effectively pivots about the nut on its bolt 7, 8, when the work piece 3 bends upwards and rises from the bed 1, load cells 13, 14 will register this increase. Subtracting the neutral datum load value will indicate a level of induced stress build up in the work piece.
  • the new grown layer or stack 4 of layers is now subjected to a cold working process to stress relieve the work piece.
  • the cold working may be carried out by cold rolling or by mechanically or ultrasonically peening an upper surface 18 of the stack 4.
  • the extent of cold working required is indicated by the loading values indicated on the load cells 13, 14.
  • the ideal state is reached when the loading value is returned to the original neutral datum value. When this value is reached, the build process can begin once again.
  • the induced stress loading from an addition of a build layer and the subsequent cold working process to neutralise the built up stresses is indicated by the saw tooth line.
  • the diagonal upper line indicates the induced stress build up if cold working is not applied.
  • a treatment station 23 for mounting on the bed 1 of Figure 1 is made up of a heat source in the form of a high powered laser 24, a source of metallic material in the form of a powder delivery system 25, cooling means in the form of a forced cooling nozzle 26 and stress relieving means in the form of a high frequency pulsed laser 27.
  • the laser 24 is focused upon a focal point 28 on an upper surface 18 of the work piece 3, whereby to melt the surface 18 to form a weld pool.
  • the laser 24 is controlled by the computer 16 (not shown in Figure 3 ) to deliver a laser beam via an optical fibre 32 to conventional focussing optics 33 which focus the laser beam to the focal point 28 on the surface 18 of the work piece.
  • the powder delivery system 25 delivers powder to the vicinity of the laser focal point 28.
  • the powder is sintered as it is deposited on the work piece surface 18 to form a layer or bead 30.
  • the powder is stainless steel 316 powder, obtained from the company Höganäs (Great Britain) Ltd, having a place of business at Munday Works, 58/66 Morley Road, Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom.
  • the powder grains have a diameter between 36 ⁇ m and 106 ⁇ m.
  • Powder delivery system 25 delivers powder at a rate of three grams per minute through a deposition nozzle 31, along three delivery lines 34 disposed symmetrically around the deposition nozzle 31.
  • the laser apparatus 24, 33 is mounted so as to be moveable under the control of the computer 16 in the X-Y plane parallel to the surface of the parent plate 2, and vertically in the Z direction orthogonal to it.
  • the laser focal point 28 thus can be directed to any point in a working envelope in the X-Y plane and vertically so as to accommodate both work pieces of different height and also regions of different height within work pieces.
  • the treatment station 23 moves in a traverse direction, relative to the work piece 3, is indicated by arrow 58.
  • the laser 24 is an Nd:YAG laser operating at a wavelength of 1064nm, and having a continuous wave power output of 500w.
  • the bead 30 is cooled to a crystallised state using the forced cooling gas nozzle 26. This may use air or a cryogenic spray jet, for example.
  • the cooled bead 30 is then treated with the high frequency pulsed laser 27 to reduce residual stress and modify the microstructure.
  • Many beads may be laid down beside one another and built on top of each other to form simple or complex parts and each bead 30 may have residual stress and distortion minimised, by the laser treatment, with the formation of improved microstructure.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Composite Materials (AREA)
  • Laser Beam Processing (AREA)
  • Powder Metallurgy (AREA)

Claims (13)

  1. Procédé de formation d'un composant métallique par fabrication additive de couches comportant l'étape de :
    a) montage d'une pièce de fabrication (3) sur un appareil de fabrication ALM comportant des moyens de mesure (13, 14) adaptés au moins partiellement pour immobiliser la pièce de fabrication (3) sur l'appareil et pour mesurer des contraintes tendant à déformer la pièce de fabrication (3),
    b) utilisation d'une source de chaleur (24) pour appliquer de la chaleur à une partie d'une surface (18) de la pièce de fabrication (3), suffisante pour faire fondre ladite partie ;
    c) ajout de matériau métallique à la partie fondue et déplacement de la source de chaleur (24) par rapport à la pièce de fabrication (3) de façon à former ainsi progressivement une couche de matériau métallique (30) sur la pièce de fabrication ;
    d) répétition des étapes b) et c) selon besoin, de façon à former ainsi progressivement le composant ;
    e) tout en formant progressivement le composant, mesure des contraintes tendant à déformer la pièce de fabrication (3) avec les moyens de mesure (13, 14) et, si lesdites contraintes sont mesurées comme étant supérieures à un seuil prédéterminé, suppression de contraintes de la pièce de fabrication (3) alors qu'elle est montée sur l'appareil de façon à réduire ainsi la déformation à un niveau prédéterminé, et
    répétition des étapes b) à e) selon besoin de façon à former ainsi le composant.
  2. Procédé selon la revendication 1 comportant le positionnement des moyens de mesure dans la région des extrémités de la pièce de fabrication et la mesure des contraintes sur au moins une partie de la pièce de fabrication.
  3. Procédé selon la revendication 1 ou 2, dans lequel les étapes de mesure de contraintes tendant à déformer la pièce de fabrication et de suppression de contraintes de la pièce de fabrication comportent la mesure de charges d'immobilisation appliquées à la pièce de fabrication pour l'immobiliser en position sur l'appareil avant que ne commence la fabrication ALM et après formation d'un nombre prédéterminé de couches de matériau ajouté sur la pièce de fabrication, la suppression de contraintes de la pièce de fabrication, une nouvelle mesure des charges d'immobilisation et, si les charges d'immobilisation dépassent un dit seuil prédéterminé, la poursuite de la suppression de contraintes de la pièce de fabrication.
  4. Procédé selon une quelconque revendication précédente, dans lequel l'étape de suppression de contraintes de la couche comprend l'application d'une étape de martelage sur la couche.
  5. Procédé selon la revendication 4, dans lequel l'étape de martelage comprend un martelage haute fréquence.
  6. Procédé selon la revendication 5, dans lequel l'étape de martelage haute fréquence comprend l'application d'un laser pulsé sur la couche.
  7. Procédé selon la revendication 5, dans lequel l'étape de martelage haute fréquence comprend l'application d'un traitement par chocs ultrasonores à la couche.
  8. Appareil de fabrication additive de couches pour former un composant métallique, l'appareil comportant :
    une source de chaleur (24) pour appliquer de la chaleur à une partie d'une surface (18) d'une pièce de fabrication (3), suffisante pour faire fondre ladite partie ;
    des moyens pour ajouter un matériau métallique (25) à la partie fondue et des moyens pour déplacer la source de chaleur par rapport à la pièce de fabrication (3) de façon à former ainsi progressivement une couche de matériau métallique sur la pièce de fabrication (3),
    des moyens de suppression de contraintes (27) pour supprimer une contrainte dans la pièce de fabrication (3) alors qu'elle est montée sur l'appareil de façon à réduire ainsi la déformation de la pièce de fabrication (3) au cours de la formation du composant,
    caractérisé en ce que l'appareil comprend en outre des moyens d'immobilisation (5, 6) pour immobiliser la pièce de fabrication (3) sur l'appareil, des moyens de mesure (13, 14) faisant partie des moyens d'immobilisation pour mesurer les contraintes tendant à déformer la pièce de fabrication (3).
  9. Appareil selon la revendication 8, dans lequel le moyen de mesure est positionné dans la région d'extrémités de la pièce de fabrication de façon à mesurer ainsi la déformation sur au moins une partie sensible de la pièce de fabrication.
  10. Appareil selon la revendication 8 ou 9, comportant des moyens de refroidissement pour refroidir la pièce de fabrication avant fonctionnement des moyens de suppression de contraintes.
  11. Appareil selon l'une quelconque des revendications 8 à 10, dans lequel les moyens de suppression de contraintes comprennent un laser pulsé de façon à appliquer ainsi un martelage au laser à la couche ajoutée.
  12. Appareil selon l'une quelconque des revendications 8 à 10, dans lequel les moyens de suppression de contraintes comprennent des moyens de traitement par chocs ultrasonores.
  13. Appareil selon l'une quelconque des revendications 8 à 12, comportant un ordinateur programmé pour commander la source de chaleur ; les moyens pour ajouter un matériau métallique à la partie fondue de la surface de la pièce de fabrication, les moyens pour déplacer la source de chaleur par rapport à la pièce de fabrication, et les moyens de suppression de contraintes en fonction des contraintes dans la pièce de fabrication mesurées par les moyens de mesure.
EP13789380.6A 2012-11-09 2013-11-06 Fabrication de couche d'additifs Active EP2916983B1 (fr)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP13789380.6A EP2916983B1 (fr) 2012-11-09 2013-11-06 Fabrication de couche d'additifs

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP12275170.4A EP2730354A1 (fr) 2012-11-09 2012-11-09 Fabrication de couche d'additifs
GB1220225.5A GB2508335B (en) 2012-11-09 2012-11-09 Additive layer manufacturing
PCT/GB2013/052898 WO2014072699A1 (fr) 2012-11-09 2013-11-06 Fabrication de couches additive
EP13789380.6A EP2916983B1 (fr) 2012-11-09 2013-11-06 Fabrication de couche d'additifs

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Publication number Publication date
EP2916983A1 (fr) 2015-09-16
AU2013343276A2 (en) 2015-07-23
WO2014072699A1 (fr) 2014-05-15
AU2013343276A1 (en) 2015-05-21
US20150306665A1 (en) 2015-10-29
TR201906510T4 (tr) 2019-05-21
US9555475B2 (en) 2017-01-31
AU2013343276B2 (en) 2017-11-02

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